The Sound of Settling
by only-because3
Summary: They've all found their places in the world, and have gotten everything they've ever dreamed of.


Hey all! So this fic is for Mer. It's her idea (how she'd like the show to end), I just wrote it for her. Thanks to Corey you read it over for me (and called me on my horrible spelling mistakes and what not) and to Lizzy, just cause lol. I hope everyone enjoys!

Brooke runs around her large home, trying to find the bag she packed to watch her favorite kids. She's running twenty minutes late, no thanks to the horrid woman who decided to take the last box of chocolate ice cream. She then had to go to four other stores until she found the ice cream she had promised her favorite niece. Her phone starts ringing loudly as she grabs the boy that was some how placed underneath the dinning room table. "Hello," she answers tiredly, grabbing her car keys before running out of the house.

"Where are you," Lucas asks harshly as she throws all the crap in her hands into the back seat.

"I'm on my way. I ran into some issues..."

"Well Peyton is freaking out and you being late in turn-"

"I KNOW Lucas," she says angrily, cutting him off in the process. "I don't see why you didn't just drop the kids off with me."

"Well it's too late now. Just hurry. I think Peyton's gonna have a heart attack if you aren't here soon."

--

Haley sits in the back seat of the car, her arms crossed over her large stomach protectively. Jamie had just almost hit a squirrel and all three sat shocked in the car. "I don't think this is safe," Haley muses quietly and Nathan looks back at her form the passenger seat.

"Hales it's fine. It was just a squirrel. Besides, how else is he supposed to learn?"

"Could you not talk like I'm not here," Jamie asks and Haley sighs.

"I'm sorry baby..." she leans forward and runs her hand through his dark blonde hair. "But I don't think you should be driving... it's much too adult for you."

"Mom, I'm 16," he whines and Nathan looks back again to find tears forming in her brown eyes.

"You're my baby boy," she whispers and Jamie ducks his head down.

"James will you step out for a second," Nathan instructs his son and the boy all too happily does as he's told. Once the door shuts behind the younger man and he's walked a few feet away, Nathan climbs into the back seat next to his wife.

"Don't you dare say I'm overreacting," she mumbles as she continues sniffing in order to keep her tears back. "or that it's the hormones... our baby boy is growing up. he has a job, he's learning how to drive, he's in high school! before we know it, he's going to leave us and he isn't going to be close with his sister and he's going to change and, no. I can not accept that."

Nathan wraps his arm around her shaking shoulders and she leans her head on his chest. "Haley, he has to leave home sometime. We can't keep him locked in the basement forever."

"Why not," Haley pouts and he smiles simply.

"Because he needs to go out in to the world and do all the wonderful things we know he's capable of. Like graduating at the top of his class, going to college, becoming a vet, and opening his own animal hospital. Maybe save a dying species, and of course get married and give us tons of grand children," he whispers into her ear and pretty soon a smile replaces her tears. "And if we're selfish then he can't do any of those things."

Haley sighs and nods her head against his shoulder. "You're right."

He drops a kiss on top of his wife's head and then climbs back into the front before motioning for Jamie to come back.

Later, they stop at a diner and eat lunch. Jamie and Nathan are laughing about some movie and her baby girl kicks her stomach. Her family has grown so much and it's all so perfect that she can't help but smile when watching her boys. Even though Jamie will be leaving soon and she'll be starting over with a new baby, she feels as though it's all complete now.

--

Brooke walks into the home of her best friend, arms filled with various bags of food and movies. "Aunt Brooke," Mick exclaims, running up and hugging the older woman's legs.

"Hey cutie," Brooke says, running her hand through the girl's blonde hair. "Where's your mom?" She points upstairs and Brooke smiles down at her appreciatively. The brunette puts all of her things on the dinning room table before jogging up the stairs to the master bedroom.

Peyton stands in front of her mirror, putting on the silver hoops that had been a gift last Christmas. "My hands are sweating like crazy," she says and Brooke laughs lightly as she sits down next to the gurgling baby who lays on the giant bed.

"You look beautiful and you have no reason to be nervous," brooke responds, picking up the blue eyed girl. "And hello gorgeous girl." Her voice switches to a softer tone and the infant smiles widely at the woman holding her.

"I am asking him to MARRY me! I have every reason to be nervous," Peyton retorts and Brooke just shakes her head.

"You guys have been together for five years, you have three ridiculously adorable daughters and you two are madly in love. He's going to say yes." Peyton nods her head, still not calm but more relaxed than before. "Where's Lucas," Brooke asks as Peyton sits down next to her, black heels in her hand.

"He went to go pick up a pizza for you guys," she answers and Brooke nods. "God I'm running so late. I hope they don't cancel the reservation."

"Calm down. They won't." The door shuts downstairs followed by the sound of happy children squealing for their pizza. "See, he's already back." They both stand, baby in Brooke's arms and she leans in to kiss Peyton's cheek. "Everything's gonna work out fine Peyton Sawyer."

--

Brooke sits surrounded but the children she loves, eating pizza and watching 'The Little Mermaid'. The night is going great, despite the fact that Peyton's car stopped at the corner and they had to take Lucas' car. She smiles widely, ecstatic that after tonight her best friend will finally get engaged to the man she's known since high school. There's going to be a huge beautiful wedding that she's gonna plan (and maybe slightly take over), and of course the bachlorette party she'll plan with Haley.

She lets out a giggle of happiness and Mick looks back at her with a stern glare in her eyes. "Sh! She's singing!"

--

Peyton fidgets nervously in the seat next to Lucas, resting her hands on the air vents in front of her. "Are you okay," he asks her and she shakes her head.

"I feel nauseous." He takes his eyes off the road momentarily and raises an eyebrow.

"You pregnant?" She shrugs next to him, throwing in a 'who knows' before rolling down the window. "You should figure that out soon considering we're all going to the fair tomorrow," he adds and she nods aimlessly.

"I can't believe I'm going to get engaged," she mutters and he smiles.

"You're going to make a beautiful bride Peyton."

She smiles and then after a moment laughs. "Think Brooke'll have a heart attack if I ask her to make my wedding dress in purple?"

He lets out a big belly laugh before looking back at her quickly. "Jake's a lucky guy," Lucas tells her and she cracks a smile.

"Jealous you missed out," she jokes and he laughs once more. They'd been broken up for nearly 10 years, trying and failing their second attempt at a relationship shortly after Lindsey. It lasted less than two months, right around time time Jake moved back.

"Please, we couldn't stand living together. I'm _thrilled_ that I don't have to marry you," he says lightly and she shoves him playfully. "Besides, look at how cute your kids turned out." Peyton smiles widely at just the thought of her family. Jenny's gotten so big, practicially an adult now, looking almost exactly like her father. Sometimes she worries about the traveling the girl has to make between Tree Hill and Savannah, but it only seems to make her cherish the time she spends with Jenny more.

Mick, or as Brooke oh-so-fondly calls Mickey, had come just five years ago, dark brown eyes with bright blonde hair, the first biological child with Jake. She was crazy and stubborn but was most likely their musical prodigy. She could already play many songs on the guitar and the piano came to her naturally.

The last one, Anna, arrived two years ago, delivered by Brooke in an unfortunate turn of events. Peyton had gone into labor while they were at a movie and she seemed to have progressed a lot faster than she did with Mick, most likely due to the fact that she'd tilted Peyton's tailbone on the way out. So when they arrived at the hospital, Brooke was forced to deliver the small baby just as Jake ran up with Jenny and Mick beside him.

She and Jake had created such a strong family with one another and she'd never felt more safe in her life. Jake was everything she could ever want. After all these years, he still held open doors for her, said 'bless you' every time she sneezed, and would surprise her with flowers on the days he came home late. One day she had come home from work to find he'd gotten the girls dressed up and the four of them had put on a 'concert' for her while she ate her favorite meal.

She loves those girls and Jake with all her heart. She thanks whatever higher power there is nearly everyday that she and Lucas broke up when they did. It was obvious it wasn't right between them. After the honeymoon phase, they became busy with their work and most physical contact, save for a few hugs and kisses, stopped. They weren't willing to cut back for the other, although they had no problem making time for their soon to be lovers. And so they ended it, on every good term they could, going their separate ways.

"I can't believe I'm proposing to him... he's gonna think I'm crazy," she mutters.

"He already knows you're crazy, but all joking aside, I can't believe he hasn't proposed already," he tells her, adding that they're so unconventional that her proposing shouldn't matter and it wont.

They pull up to the restaurant and she checks her face and hair in the small mirror quickly before turning to Lucas and thanking him. "Wish me luck," she asks and he shakes his head.

"You don't need it."

--

Peyton walks into the river walk restaurant and sees Jake already sitting at the table she reserved. When he smiles and waves her over, momentarily all her worries disappear. He gets up and pulls out her chair, whispering in her ear that she looks beautiful. She blushes, even though Brooke and Lucas had told her the same thing. "I'm sorry I don't look too hot. I couldn't make it all the way home in enough time," he says lightly.

"How long have you been here,' she asks before adding that his jeans were her favorite and she didn't care how he was dressed.

"I'd barely sat down when you walked in," he tells her and for the rest of the night, a smile is on her face.

Later, when they've finished dinner, they walk down the same piece of deck that they walked down on their first official date. They're holding hands just like before and he brings her hand up to kiss it. 'So, I've got something to ask you," she says, interrupting the comfortable silence between them.

"Is it how much I'm charging," he jokes and she shoves him. her mind's running a mile a minute and she needs to figure out how to formulate her question. Should she be all formal about it? Should she take her friend's approach and just blurt it out?

"I love you," she starts with instead, deciding that it'd probably be better if she just winged it.

"I love you too," he instantly replies, squeezing her hand lightly.

"And I love our kids and our life," she continues on and he nods in agreement, thought a look of confusion is beginning to show on his face. "So maybe you'd want to get married?"

He stops walking, his head whipping around to look at her. "Are you serious," he asks her, voice still completely calm.

"If you want to. I'd be content just being with you for the rest of my life, but why not throw a party to show our friends and family? The girls will wear their very own C over B, my dress will be purple and you'll probably be all slicked up in a tux and we'd have the best music on the planet. It'd be our own little crazy wedding..." She's looks at him so hopeful and his face won't give away anything.

But then he captures her lips and wraps his arms around her waist. She can already feel the smile on his face. When he pulls away, grin still on his face he mutters the absolute truth. "Now we're complete."

--

Lucas pulls up to Peyton and Jake's home, lights still shinning brightly on the first floor. He sees Brooke with all the kids in the large living room window, each one eagerly grabbing at the tray of cookies in the woman's hands. He smiles when he realizes that he's made such a wonderful choice.

After he and Peyton had broken up, Brooke had approached him about the prospect of a family. She'd tried to adopt but with her being single it was damn near impossible and she wasn't sure she could handle fostering again. "I know that you just got out of your relationship with Peyton and this could be really weird but it would mean the _world_ to me Lucas," she had explained to him and so he agreed. How could he not?

Over a few months, Brooke had invitro and they both waited patiently for it to happen. And when she went in alone to see if there was a baby, _her_ baby inside her, she was greeted with nothing. No heartbeat, no shape, no nothing. Lucas found her later crying in the nursery that used to be Angie's. He'd picked her up and placed her into bed before hearing her ask him to stay. Just for the night. He climbed into bed next to her, held her, touched her, comforted her, and unknown to either of them, gave her the one thing she _needed_.

Nine months later, Brooke gave birth to a son with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. Haley commented when Collin was 3 months old how bright and glowing Brooke looked with her son and he agreed with her completely. Brooke looked so alive again whenever she even spoke of the boy he helped create.

Despite how Collin came to happen, Brooke and Lucas remained close friends, no awkwardness or need for anything more coming in-between them. They talked frequently and he helped with Collin regularly. A day didn't go by where the three of them didn't see each other. It wasn't till Collin called Lucas daddy that it all fell into place. Not much changed considering how close they already were, but when they went to the fair with Nathan, Haley, and Jamie, he kissed her before taking Collin on to the ferris wheel.

From then on out, she stayed at his house, moved all of Collin's things and most of hers into the old house she'd visited since high school. She shared everything with him and when their boy was three, Aaden was born. They got married only ten months ago, Lizzy following four months later. And now, Collin's ten, Aaden's seven, and Lizzy's six months and he can't think of a time he's been happier. His family feels so complete now that he has Brooke and his children. "Hey pervy boy!"

Lucas blinks and then looks over at the porch. Brooke stands with a dimpled smirk on her face, hands placed on her hips. "You coming in or you gonna be creepy in the car for another five minutes," she asks with a laugh and he can't stop himself from smiling. He turns off the car and jogs up the walk way to the brunette. She throws her arms over his shoulders and gives him a quick peck on the lips. "Blondie get there without throwing up?"

"Yep. How are the kids," he questions as the walk into the Jagielski/Sawyer house, his answer is only a giggle from Brooke as both their kids and their friends' kids bombard him with hugs. After Brooke and Lucas have returned home with their children, Jake and Peyton have gone home to their children, and Nathan and Haley lie in bed, a feeling of complete calmness washes over their families.

They've all found their places in the world, and have gotten everything they've ever dreamed of.


End file.
